Means for preventing strings from slipping off pulleys in toys and the like



July 29, 1930. E. P. LEHMANN ,442

I MEANS FOR PREVENTING STRINGS FROM SLIPPING OFF PULLEY S IN TOYS AND THE LIKE Filed May 10, 1928 /n ventor:

Patented July 29, 1930' UNITED STATES A NT .orFicE ERNST PAUL LEHMANN, or BRANDENBUBG-ON-THE-HAVEL, GERMANY MEANS FOR PREVENTING STRINGS FROM eme. or}? PnLnEYsTN roirs Am: THE

LIK -3] 1 a Application filed May 10, 1928, Serial No. 276,774, andiin ea a oao 2'0, 132?.

The present invention relates to protective means forpreventing strings,'cords and the like from slipping off grooved pulleys or rollers in toys and similar articles. In toys,

5 particularly those which are made of sheet material and in which the movement of the working parts is brought about by means of a comparatively loose string, cord, chain or the like running over a pulley or roller, the said string or the like has hitherto been very liable to escape from the groove in the pulley or roller during transport of the toyor when for any other reason the toy has'been turned upside down. A replacing of the tensile mem 5 ber in question can only be accomplished with difiiculty, particularly when the toy is a closed article, especially as such toys are usually operated not by mechanic-s but by children or other persons who are not capable of carrying out very easily the requisite manipulations.

In order toobviate this difficulty I have provided a protective plate,-which is fitted close over the string to be protected, at the point where it runs in the groove on the pulley. For this purpose, at the upper part of the pulley, at the level of the bed of the groove in the pulley in which the string rests, is fitted a plate or the like surrounding the pulley and the string, and comprising an aperture which is accurately dimensioned so as just to leave the pulley free in the centre thereof, while preventing the string from slipping down over the edge of the pulley. Ow-

ing to this narrowness of the space between the pulley and the edge of the aperture in the plate, if the string becomes loose or rises abovethe pulley in a curved form owing to the toy being turned upside down, it must 4e always slip back again into the groove when the toy is turned over again and the string pulled tight by a weight or the like, whereas without this limitation as to the size of the aperture, the string would slip down beside the pulley and drop directly on to the shaft of the pulley, thereby preventing the toy from working. The plate may be of any convenient shape and maybe secured to the casing in any'manner that appears desirable, as for example with lugs or the like.

"The plate 18 is secured at 20 to the casing 4.

" "1. Protectivemeans for preventingstrings,

& The invention is diagrammatically illus- 5 trated by wayof example in various construe tional forms in'Figures 1 to 4 .ofthe accon1- panying, drawings w The figures show one constructional form 1 of the invention, With two protective plates of the kind already mentioned, and a third protective plate of'a different kind, Figs. 1 and 2 being sectional elevations, Fig. 3 a plan, and Fig. 4: a sectional plan of the thirdprotective plate alone on the line 44in Fig. 1, l

L In all the; figures all the partsthat are not essentiala're as fa r as possible omitted."

In the device shown in the drawingsBis a shaft (here shown quite short) carrying a pulley 6, over-which passesa string '7. 18 is a plate extendingjtransver'sely across thetoy at the levelof the'bed of the g'roove at the top of the pulley. 1 9 is the aperture in the platel'S.

'70 24: is a substantially U-shapedplate secured at 25 beneath the plate 18 and provided with an aperture26 on'alevel with the bed of the groove on" the under side of the pulley, this aperture 26 being of such dimensions that it just allows the'string 7 to"pass'through. 7

It is advantageous to provide at asuitable position,forinstancein a plate 27 carrying th-epart 4. of the casing, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, separate holes28 through whichthe string 7 can pass, forthe purpose of preventi'ng the parallelparts of the string from becoming twisted or entangled in th'e eventfor example ofthe toy being turned upside down. The material of the toy, is preterablyof sheet iron or other sheetflmaterial, but celluloid, wood, or any other suitable material may beemployed. I I What Iclaim-is 9o cordsand the like fromslipping ofl? grooved pulleys androller's in toys andsimilar arti cles, comprising plates located atthe same distance from the axis of the pulley as the bed of the groove against which the string bears, and at the parts of the pulley at which protection is required, each of said plates being formed with an aperture which fits round the pulley as closely as is possible without touching the pulley as it revolves and without touching the string when said string is bearing against the bed of the groove.

2. Protective means for preventin strings, cords and the like from slipping o grooved pulleys and rollers in toys and similar articles, comprising a plate at ,the level of the bed ofvthe gro-oveon which the string rests at the top of the pulley, said plate being formed with an aperture which fits round the pulley as closely as'is possible without touching the pulley as it revolves and withouttouching "the string when said string i's'bearing against the bed. of the groove, and an additional plate,

located at a greater distance from .the axis of the pulley, said additional plate being formed'with two holes through which the string can pass, to prevent said string from becoming tangled when slack. V

3. Protective means for preventingstirings, cords-and the like from slipping ofi' grooved pulleys and rollers in toys and similar articles, comprising a plate located at the same distancewfrom the axis of the pulley as the bed of the groove againstwhich the string bears-,atthe part ofthe pulleyat which protection is required, said plate being formed with an aperture which fits round the pulley as closely .as is possible without touching the pulley as it-r'evolves and without touching3the string when said string is bearing against the .bed of the groove, and an additional plate, located at a greater .distance f-rom the axis of the pulley, said additional plate being formed with twofholes through which the string-can pass, to prevent said string from becoming tangled when slack.

:4. Protective means for preventing strings,

cords and the like from slipping off grooved pulleys and rollers in toysand similar articles, comprising plates located at the "same distanoefrom theaxis of the pulley as :the

.bed of the grooveagainst which the string bears, at the parts of the pulley at which Iprotection' isrequired, each of said plates being formedwith an aperture which fits round the pulley as closely as is possible without touching the pulley as it revolves and without touching the string'wlien said string is bearlng against the bed of the groove, and anadditional plate, located at a greater distance from the axis of the pulley, isaid additional plate being ,formed with two holes through which the string can pass, to preventsaid string from becoming tangled when slack.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification.

ERNST PAUL LEHMANN;

have signed my 

